unhappy
adjective
un·hap·py
ˌən-ˈha-pē 
1
: not fortunate : unlucky
an unhappy coincidence
3
a
: causing or subject to misfortune : inauspicious
b
: infelicitous, inappropriate
an unhappy choice
unhappiness
noun
Synonyms
- bad
- blue
- brokenhearted
- cast down
- crestfallen
- dejected
- depressed
- despondent
- disconsolate
- doleful
- down
- down in the mouth
- downcast
- downhearted
- droopy
- forlorn
- gloomy
- glum
- hangdog
- heartbroken
- heartsick
- heartsore
- heavyhearted
- inconsolable
- joyless
- low
- low-spirited
- melancholic
- melancholy
- miserable
- mournful
- sad
- saddened
- sorrowful
- sorry
- woebegone
- woeful
- wretched
Examples of unhappy in a Sentence
I can see that he's unhappy, but I don't know why.
I've never seen her looking so unhappy.
For three unhappy days we were all stuck in the house because of the blizzard.
an unhappy choice of career
The movie's hero meets an unhappy fate.
Recent Examples on the Web
The answer is that immigrants and minorities, particularly working-class ones, are unhappy with the economy and much else.
—
Basel Touchan, TIME, 22 Nov. 2024
The measures come as a cost-of-living crisis has left voters unhappy with Trudeau and ahead of an election that could come anytime between this fall and next October.
—Rob Gillies, Los Angeles Times, 21 Nov. 2024
Early exit poll results have produced some positive signs for Trump; nationally, 72 percent of Americans are unhappy with the direction the country is going, according to the exit poll.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 6 Nov. 2024
The ethics of moving to Canada for those unhappy with incoming U.S. political leadership is debatable, of course.
—Lila MacLellan, Fortune, 6 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for unhappy 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Basel Touchan, TIME, 22 Nov. 2024
The measures come as a cost-of-living crisis has left voters unhappy with Trudeau and ahead of an election that could come anytime between this fall and next October.
—Rob Gillies, Los Angeles Times, 21 Nov. 2024
Early exit poll results have produced some positive signs for Trump; nationally, 72 percent of Americans are unhappy with the direction the country is going, according to the exit poll.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 6 Nov. 2024
The ethics of moving to Canada for those unhappy with incoming U.S. political leadership is debatable, of course.
—Lila MacLellan, Fortune, 6 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for unhappy
Dictionary Entries Near unhappy
Cite this Entry
“Unhappy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unhappy. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
unhappy
adjective
un·hap·py
ˌən-ˈhap-ē
1
: not fortunate : unlucky
an unhappy mistake
2
: not cheerful : sad
3
: inappropriate
an unhappy color combination
unhappily
adverb
-ˈhap-ə-lē
unhappiness
noun
-ˈhap-i-nəs
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share